Mountain-mania

For those who were/are interested in my thru-hike, I haven’t fallen off a ridge or caught on fire. I am now finished with my adventure and have taken the time to compile my notes and photos so that I can describe the rest of my hike to you! It turns out that when you are walking all day (and sometimes at night) there is little time for blog writing…so here it is!

I have now conquered the famous Sierra Nevada mountain range. This section of the trail is 400 miles long with little outside access. It begins near Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the contiguous United States at 14,505 ft (4,421 m). This mountain range was formed when glaciations ~100 million years ago exposed underlying granite to form the spectacular mountains I have struggled over for the past few weeks.

View of Bishop, California from the top of Mt. WhitneyGuitar Lake at the base of Mt. Whitney

Environments at high elevation tend to receive more precipitation then down below. Donnor Pass, infamous for a group of desperate travelers resorting to cannibalism, gets more snow than most other places in the United States. Lucky for me this year was a low precipitation year, I only encountered a few hailstorms, and one 4-day stretch of rain. The problem with backpacking in the mountains is that storms roll in fast. Moist air is forced upward by the rock barrier and is condensed as it moves through cooler air. If a hiker happens to have less then impeccable timing, they often find themselves at the crest of the mountains where cold and violent storms hit without warning.

Despite the harsh conditions, there are fellow inhabitants on the crest. Marmots are constantly interested in hiker campsites, looking for sweaty gear to chew on. Insects are abundant in the summertime, and as you approach Yosemite Valley, bears are scavenging. Black bears become a huge problem in the valley where there are lots of tourists leaving food remains, however in the backcountry most hikers are educated and responsible, using bear proof canisters to store their food. Biting flies are also a nuisance, making it tricky for a weary hiker to take a peaceful break. Many nights, choosing a campsite meant finding a spot furthest from any standing water where mosquitoes are most plentiful.

View from my perch on top of Silver Pass“The Golden Staircase” coming down the North side of Mather Pass

This section of the PCT is home to the most stunning vistas. Hiking through involves climbing a mountain pass every day (or sometimes two!), a grueling task made tougher by the lack of oxygen in the air. The view from the top of the pass is always the best reward for hauling your weary body up 4000+ft. This rough terrain has whipped me into the best shape of my life, so I am now ready to begin pushing higher daily mileage…still have a long way to go!

Entomological Society of Ontario Conference 2015

Entomological Society of Ontario Conference 2015

This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the Entomological Society of Ontario’s Annual General Meeting, this year held at the Queen’s University Biological Station (QUBS). Allison and I were invited to speak at the meeting and bring the BIObus along so everyone could learn how we promote insects, biodiversity and science to the public. QUBS was a beautiful venue, and since this was my first time visiting it, I was thoroughly impressed by it. QUBS property includes more than 3200 hectares including six small lakes, shoreline, forests and many buildings for sleeping, research, and conferences. The ESO attendees got a chance to tour the site with Frank Phelan the manager of QUBS who has been there for 40 years. I particularly enjoyed learning about their on-site library and herbarium. The biological station also has a wonderful dining area and kitchen where the staff prepared excellent food that we all enjoyed.

The Jessie V. Deslauriers Library and Herbarium at QUBSTouring the Jack Hambleton LibraryQUBS has a nice herbarium collection stored in the facilityThe boat house

The theme of the conference was education and outreach and there was great variation in talks including talks by students and researchers from a range of topics such as Syrphid flies, Algonquin Park biodiversity, mimicry in ultraviolet and many talks on education, outreach and social media. I was inspired by Morgan Jackson’s talk on how to use social media as a scientist to bring forth science information to a general audience and to get people engaged in it.

Giving my talk on the Global Malaise Trap ProgramAllison explains the School Malaise Trap Program in her talkMorgan Jackson navigates us through the world of social media

The BIObus was the main event for Saturday afternoon. Allison and I brought with us our usual educational offerings including insect displays, guide books, live insects caught at QUBS that we put into viewing cages and a slide show of photos from our travels across Canada. For a remote location we did receive some public visitors including some kids so it was great to talk to them about what we do. Conference attendees also were able to learn about insect trapping methods as we had many trap types on display.

Allison and Antonia enjoying our Entomology 101 afternoonThe BIObus was front and centre at QUBS’s Raleigh J. Roberston Biodiversity CentreMecury Vapour Light Trap and Lindgren Funnels on displayA large trap that you can hook onto the front of a truck for capturing insects!Conference attendees learning about pitfall trapsA great diagram of how a pitfall trap worksColin Jones shows how to properly catch and preserve dragonflies and damselfliesKids were able to catch some bugs!Enjoying my time at the ESO conference

If you’re interested in learning more about entomology I suggest you join the ESO. Membership is free for Canadian students and amateurs. It’s a great way to connect with people actively working in this field.